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Blue Jays mailbag: Would a better manager than John Gibbons have made a difference?

In this week’s mailbag with Richard Griffin, a look at Ryan Braun’s apology, more calls for Gibbons to be fired and which season in franchise history was the most disappointing?

Toronto Star readers continue to call for the firing of Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, seen here arguing a call with first base umpire Scott Barry on Thursday. Gibbons was ejected in the fifth inning of the Blue Jays' 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees. (Kathy Willens / AP)

Ryan Braun this week apologized. The statement was issued via the Brewers, an organization that is on the hook for a lot of money in guaranteed salary when Braun has finished serving his suspension at the close of this season.

The Brewers, thus, have a keen interest in Ryan Braun being able to rehab his image. He was the face of the Brewers and stands to be that again if baseball fans in Wisconsin can find it in their hearts to forgive him. The Brewers will spend the winter continuing the name-rehab effort, but those friends and fellow players that he looked in the eye and lied to about his involvement with PEDS are going to have a tough time getting over it. Here is the statement for you to skim through.

“Now that the initial MLB investigation is over, I want to apologize for my actions and provide a more specific account of what I did and why I deserved to be suspended. I have no one to blame but myself. I know that over the last year and a half I made some serious mistakes, both in the information I failed to share during my arbitration hearing and the comments I made to the press afterwards.

“I have disappointed the people closest to me — the ones who fought for me because they truly believed me all along. I kept the truth from everyone. For a long time, I was in denial and convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong.

“It is important that people understand that I did not share details of what happened with anyone until recently. My family, my teammates, the Brewers organization, my friends, agents, and advisors had no knowledge of these facts, and no one should be blamed but me. Those who put their necks out for me have been embarrassed by my behavior. I don’t have the words to express how sorry I am for that.

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“Here is what happened. During the latter part of the 2011 season, I was dealing with a nagging injury and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn’t have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation. It was a huge mistake for which I am deeply ashamed and I compounded the situation by not admitting my mistakes immediately.

“I deeply regret many of the things I said at the press conference after the arbitrator’s decision in February 2012. At that time, I still didn’t want to believe that I had used a banned substance. I think a combination of feeling self righteous and having a lot of unjustified anger led me to react the way I did. I felt wronged and attacked, but looking back now, I was the one who was wrong. I am beyond embarrassed that I said what I thought I needed to say to defend my clouded vision of reality. I am just starting the process of trying to understand why I responded the way I did, which I continue to regret. There is no excuse for any of this.

“For too long during this process, I convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong. After my interview with MLB in late June of this year, I came to the realization that it was time to come to grips with the truth. I was never presented with baseball’s evidence against me, but I didn’t need to be, because I knew what I had done. I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions and finally focused on dealing with the realities of — and the punishment for — my actions.

“I requested a second meeting with Baseball to acknowledge my violation of the drug policy and to engage in discussions about appropriate punishment for my actions. By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction. It was important to me to begin my suspension immediately to minimize the burden on everyone I had so negatively affected- my teammates, the entire Brewers organization, the fans and all of MLB. There has been plenty of rumour and speculation about my situation, and I am aware that my admission may result in additional attacks and accusations from others.

“I love the great game of baseball and I am very sorry for any damage done to the game. I have privately expressed my apologies to Commissioner Selig and Rob Manfred of MLB and to Michael Weiner and his staff at the Players’ Association. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve received from them. I sincerely apologize to everybody involved in the arbitration process, including the collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr. I feel terrible that I put my teammates in a position where they were asked some very difficult and uncomfortable questions. One of my primary goals is to make amends with them.

“I understand it’s a blessing and a tremendous honour to play this game at the Major League level. I also understand the intensity of the disappointment from teammates, fans, and other players. When it comes to both my actions and my words, I made some very serious mistakes and I can only ask for the forgiveness of everyone I let down. I will never make the same errors again and I intend to share the lessons I learned with others so they don’t repeat my mistakes. Moving forward, I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem.

“I support baseball’s Joint Drug Treatment and Prevention Program and the importance of cleaning up the game. What I did goes against everything I have always valued — achieving through hard work and dedication, and being honest both on and off the field. I also understand that I will now have to work very, very hard to begin to earn back people’s trust and support. I am dedicated to making amends and to earning back the trust of my teammates, the fans, the entire Brewers’ organization, my sponsors, advisors and from MLB. I am hopeful that I can earn back the trust from those who I have disappointed and those who are willing to give me the opportunity. I am deeply sorry for my actions, and I apologize to everyone who has been adversely affected by them.

On to the mailbag . . .

Q. Hi Richard

After last week’s mailbag perhaps I could give a little bit of support (and perspective) to those who want John Gibbons out.

1. To those who wanted a big name perhaps it’s worth remembering that wishing for Terry Francona, Joe Torre, Joe Maddon etc was simply fantasy baseball. They were either not available or not interested. That leaves you with a whole bunch of guys named ‘Who.’ Tony Pena? A complete bust at Kansas. Charlie Manuel? Even folksier than Gibby and 20 years older. Buck Showalter, the two-year wonder? The list goes on.

3. It’s maybe worth remembering that Francona spent 4 seasons under .500 at Philly before getting it right. Joe Torre even worse at the Mets. Jim Leyland in 11 years at the Pirates probably only got them anywhere near once or maybe twice. All bad teams? Sure but what do you think the Jays have been plunking out? The best team in the East is managed by the same guy who was pathetic in Toronto even before he saw the Holy Grail.

So is Gibby as good as these guys? I have no idea but I can’t think of one thing that he did, or didn’t do that would have made one jot of difference to this season. So just for once can we stick with a guy and find out now the pieces are finally coming together. He has total respect for his players, the fans and the game. He treats them as men and if these guys are good enough the Jays will win because of how they perform. And because the manager stayed out of the way and let them play their game.

Thanks again, Griff

Frank Taker, Prescott, Ont.

I agree that a big-name manager per se is not that answer and I also agree that guys like Francona, LaRussa and Torre were not the answers because they never would have come to Toronto at that point in time. But how can you mention the fact that Tito had four losing years in Philadelphia before he found success and then say that Tony Pena was a complete bust for his losing seasons in Kansas City. Besides, where’s your point No. 2?

As for Charlie Manuel, I love the guy, but I always thought that Philadelphia was the only spot he could have landed and had success. Any team that hires him now is chasing previous success. I remember when Joe Torre was hired by the Yankees, the headline at the New York Post was “Clueless Joe?” Closer to my heart, when Buck Rodgers managed in Milwaukee, his first gig at the helm of a major-league team in the early ’80s, he was run out of town by his players, led by catcher Ted Simmons. Rodgers took two years off out of uniform, then when he returned with Montreal was one of the most highly regarded “player managers” in the game. He admitted that he had made mistakes his first time around. Buck remains my favourite manager that I have worked with.

So is Gibby as good as any of these guys? I’m not sure. Nobody is. But I am also not advocating, and never have, that John Gibbons be fired, I am just suggesting that the Rogers higher-ups may decide to make the human sacrifice and toss him into the volcano of perpetual major-league scapegoats. As I told him when he yelled at me in 2008 in the manager’s office in Cleveland, I said “Gibby, you’re not the best manager I’ve ever dealt with, but you’re not the worst.” It’s the truth. As for John Farrell, he may not have been trying to be pathetic in Toronto, but he could see it from there.

Q. Hi Richard,

Love the mailbag. I just want to join the chorus calling for Gibbons to go. I see a lot of people defending him by suggesting that he isn’t the one hitting or pitching, so he isn’t the problem. It seems there has to be more to managing than the fundamentals. The Jays could be compared to this season’s Dodgers. In late June the Jays actually had a better record than the Dodgers, a team loaded with talent and for whom the same high expectations were in place. The Dodgers’ owners apparently read the riot act to Don Mattingly and he has managed to turn the team around.

They’ve faced injuries, but he has not been afraid to ruffle feathers by sitting veterans, and making the sorts of lineup changes necessary to win games. I watched him the other night. He spends the game on the dugout stairs, leaning over the railing, talking to his players — simply seeming like he cares about what is going on. Gibby on the other hand spends most of the game slumped in the corner chewing whatever it is he’s chewing, and looking like he’d rather be elsewhere. He leaves pitchers in too long (he basically admitted that in talking about Happ’s first game back), doesn’t seem to think about his lineup (you’ve previously noted his leaving two left-handers batting back to back), and his calls to the bullpen seem to inevitably backfire and he seems ill-prepared to make the necessary changes by having someone else ready to step in. Surely a manager with his head in the game has got to be able to get more from his team than one with his head in the clouds, or wherever it is that Gibby’s head is at.

Thanks,

Scott, Burlington

A. It’s far too easy to say that Gibbons is not the one pitching or hitting so it’s not his fault, but the fact is that too often, whether it’s the fact that his hands are tied by the number of pitchers the Jays have carried or not, the opposing manager seems to get the best of him in game situations. The most recent example is bringing Moises Sierra in to pinch-hit for Anthony Gose facing a Yankees left-hander on Wednesday. Joe Girardi walked Sierra and pitched to the weak left-handed hitting Kawasaki and got the easy out. The Jays seem to have no answer for the answer to their answer. The Dodgers did have a similar record to the Jays at one point, but the Jays also did not have any hotshot minor-leaguer like Yasiel Puig to bring up. Plus the Dodgers have the best pitcher in the NL in Clayton Kershaw. Hanley Ramirez got very hot at the same time Puig came up and made an impact.

As for the calls to the bullpen that fail, they are the same calls that in the first half of the season resulted in stifling relief pitching and many wins. Gibbons has not handled his bullpen much different than in the first four months, except for the fact that they can’t close out innings, not just the ninth, any more. Gibbons seems to have had an equal and opposite reaction to his relief failures, recently cutting short the stints of some of his best pitchers in key, game situations to protect them. Just win, baby.

Q. Hi Richard,

First off, thank you, I love your column and it is the only way to get insider news for the loyal Jays fans stateside. I have been a Jays fan since the beginning. I remember watching the very first snowy game on TV. Thinking back I am feeling this is the most disappointing Jays squad ever. Sure the early years were lean but expectations were low. Can you think of a more underachieving squad than the 2013 Jays? Given that fact, what are the chances that we cut the John Gibbons rehire experiment after this year and do you think there is any interest in a proven winner like Charlie Manuel?

Thanks,

Joe in Orlando

A. A more disappointing Blue Jays squad may have been the ’87 club that lost seven straight to the Tigers down the stretch to miss the post-season. But that team provided solid entertainment all summer until the final stretch drive. Another very disappointing Jays team was the ’04 squad that went from 86 wins the year before to 67 the next season. It’s hard to call that team underachievers because in hindsight they had overachieved in ’03. So is this the most underachieving and disappointing Jays squad ever? Yes. At no point in the long run of Yankees and Red Sox dominance of the AL East has the Jays been expected to win the division than in 2013 and it has not come close to happening.

Q. Hello, Richard;

I always enjoy your baseball columns, despite my disappointment with the Jays this year. They remind me of the Bosox a couple seasons back, when everyone thought they had a World Series bound team after a few big signings. Do you think that the Jays are in a similar situation? The Sox are winning with the basic core guys they had that year, after lots of juggling, so maybe the Jays can be in the same position in coming seasons if they juggle correctly, regards,

Lee Heinonen, Sprucedale, Ont.

A. That Red Sox team’s experience in 2011 was one of the caveats this spring of unbridled optimism that was running rampant after all of the AA moves last winter. They added 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, SS Marco Scutaro, RHP John Lackey and others but failed to make the playoffs on the final day. As you point out, the Jays need to identify the real core guys and hang on to them and they have a chance to move forawrd with some sage moves by the GM. The core guys on this Jays team are Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes and Brett Lawrie.

Q. Hi Richard:

Were you able to pick up any reaction from the players to the Bonifacio trade?

Matthew McKean, Ottawa

A. Baseball and pro sports in general are funny when it comes to friendships and trades. On the night Emilio Bonifacio was traded to the Royals, Jose Reyes did not find out until he arrived mid-afternoon and saw his friend’s locker had been cleaned out. That night he went over to Bonfacio’s apartment and they hung out until very late, but that was it. Players all understand that baseball is a business and anyone can be traded at any time. There is no anger nor angst, but years later when old teammates get together they become best friends again. It’s a wonderful thing to observe and be a part of.

Q. Hi Rich,

Am I the only person who had a problem with the home run trot of Alfonso Soriano in Wednesday’s game? It’s OK to celebrate but the finger pointing thing was disrespectful to the Jays and if I was playing, I would have clearly shouted at him to tone it down.

Secondly, when will Gibby be fired? It should happen because this team has clearly underperformed and the injury excuse can only go so far. I say bring back Cito because these guys had some of their best years when he managed the team. In fact, he preached aggressiveness and I watched Lind take a pitch that was clearly a strike and could be mashed somewhere. Instead he took it (like most Jays) and ended up walking. I would like to see the Jays be a bit more aggressive at the plate.

Keep the mailbag coming.

Anton Forde, Freeport, Bahamas

A, The first question is easier to answer than the second.

If the Jays had had a problem with Soriano’s home run celebration they could have dempstered him on Thursday — but they didn’t do anything. If any team is going to be criticized for its excessive celebration on home runs after they cross home plate, it is the Jays with their uber-choreographed routines. I don’t have a problem with any of that as long as the celebrated home run has some meaning to the outcome of the contest. But sometimes the circumstances don’t warrant any celebration.

As for manager Gibbons gone and the return of Cito Gaston, I do not believe that Cito is the answer this time around. Think about it. The two-time World Series winner has only managed in three of the past 16 seasons and the fact is the game may have passed him by in terms of relating to the players. Should Gibbons be let go or re-assigned at the end of the season? That, I believe, if it does happen will not be a pure decision by GM Alex Anthopoulos but may come from over his head at Rogers HQ. The unusual thing about Gibby is that he has never even applied for the Jays’ manager’s job but has been hired twice. The first time was in New York as first base coach after a day game loss. GM J.P. Ricciardi said in the visitors’ clubhouse at the old Yankee Stadium, “Gibby, don’t go anywhere.” Then he went into the office and fired Carlos Tosca, came out and congratulated Gibbons, his new manager. The second time, this time, Gibby flew in for a job interview he thought was for bench coach. He thought Anthopoulos was going to hire a first-time manager and wanted him to work the bench. Next thing you know he’s manager. Some guys have interviewed a dozen times and never had even one chance.

Q. Hello, Richard,

It appears that the Blue Jays bullpen which has been praised as the one aspect of the Jays that was solid, is proving to be not so solid after all with their abject failure the last two games i.e. the first game against Boston where Sergio Santos (who has hardly played in two years) and Aaron Loup each gave up two runs that caused the Jays to lose that game. Then last night the all-star Brett Cecil gave up a two-run home run that tied the game. It was Rajai Davis’s hits and speedy running that won the game for the Jays. What’s up with the bullpen? Have they too decided to pack it in? There are not too many games left in this season, one would expect this under-achieving team to show some fight. Happy to see Brett Lawrie who hit the winning single last night, playing great baseball.

Tony D’Souza, Toronto

A. That’s a bad call by you to suggest that the bullpen has decided to pack it in. Under Pat Hentgen there is not a subset of this team that has more respect for preparation and respect for the game than the Jays bullpen. They report early every day in order to go out on the field and do their work before batting practice every day — home and road. They have an esprit de corps that is refreshing within any major-league clubhouse. They have had recent woes as a group and a large part of it is overwork, but also I believe there is a contagious aspect to sporting failure as much as there is success. The Jays’ bullpen also hugely misses Steve Delabar and Dustin McGowan.

Q. Do you think that Bautista’s recent move to the DL is just his coy way of quitting on the team? Prior to the move, he seemed to suddenly come down with a phantom injury that now sets him up for maybe not playing again this year. Nice way to mail it in Jose. I personally feel that Jose is the poster boy for a number of uncoachable players on the current Jays squad that have contributed to the dysfunction we’ve had to witness all season. I also find it extremely offensive having to watch the ridiculous celebrations on the bench of a team that is going nowhere when a guy hits a solo shot that turns a 4-0 game into 4-1.

Ted S

A-Ridiculous. Read my wide-ranging interview with Bautista in next Monday’s Bullpen then try and suggest that he is trying to beg off for the rest of the season.

Q. Hi Griff,

Maybe there were no takers, but seeing Darren Oliver lose the game for the Jays against the Yankees frustrated me a bit. At this stage of a lost season, why wasn’t a Santos or another reliever who has a future with the team not gaining some valuable experience in the ninth? I know he has been a good veteran voice for the bullpen over the past two years but I can’t understand why the GM wouldn’t trade this guy at this point for an asset of any kind to help restock the depleted farm system. Did Antholopous hold on to Oliver because he believed the Jays were still in it? Enlighten me on what he could have been thinking to not trade Oliver.

Love the bag!

Aaron Hickey, Sydney, Australia

A. I honestly believe that if Darren Oliver had asked Anthopoulos to be traded to a contender that he would have been traded to a contender. However, AA said that was not the case, so how can we be mad at Oliver for not demanding out of T-O? Darren Oliver is a consummate professional who loves what he is doing and is getting to the end of the line. Antholopous understood that was a possibility when he flew to Texas in December to convince him to come back. Everything is magnified when the Jays are struggling as badly as they are. Oliver right now is the third option behind Cecil and Loup, bit there is maybe 2-3 other teams with a left-handed relief corps as good as the Jays.

Q. Hi Richard,

Love the mailbag and your other Jays articles — never miss one. I have a question about second base. Rajai Davis was drafted as a ssecond baseman. I assume there is a reason why we haven’t seen him there. However, he hits for better average that Izturis and can steal bases. If the Lawrie second base experiment made sense, wouldn’t you look at Davis?

Thanks

D’Arcy Draper, Peterborough, Ont.

A. No. At his age and entering free agency this post-season, he is not about to move to second base and the transition time would take more time than the Jays have. He has now over-performed the asking price that the Jays can afford for him in free agency as a fourth outfielder and will be going elsewhere — as a starting outfielder.

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